The “Adopt a Beehive with Alan Wong” program is a partnership between our restaurant and University of Hawaii at Hilo’s Agricultural Farm Laboratory in Panaewa. Even though the restaurant is closed, this program is still doing well, especially because of Lorna Tsutsumi, the person responsible for it all. In April, we will go back to Hilo once again to help with a mahalo party for donors and supporters of the bee program. It’s a great way to say “thank you” to everyone. A lot of food is prepared — using honey, of course — and each year there are scholarships for students. During the pandemic, we didn’t have any events, so it will be great to see everyone again.
One of the most exciting things we experienced was putting on beekeeping suits, going to the beehives, opening them up and seeing all the honey that was made in each wooden frame. The bees were buzzing all around, and at first, I got a little nervous thinking, “I am not safe! One of these buggahs will get through some tiny crack in my suit and get me!”
I never got stung, nor did anyone else doing that with the uniforms on. It was important for me to have our restaurant staff come with me, a new bunch each visit, to experience this firsthand. That way, if they were your servers, they could actually tell you firsthand what it was like being there and what the process of making honey truly is about. A cook would not only help me with the dishes I made with honey, but also walk away with a newfound appreciation for beekeeping and honey. From that point, honey was not just honey. Bees pollinate many different types of plants, and each one gives off its own nuances. Therefore, each honey tastes, smells and looks different.
Lorna and her students do all of the beekeeping to keep the hives healthy and producing honey. This is also a great example of how a business partners with a school and produces scholarships for students, which helps them continue their education.
Farms started to see crop yields diminish. Fewer bees meant less pollination, which meant less fruit and vegetables. So, Lorna put a beehive on a farm so the bees could do their pollinating, and that helped increase production. What used to happen naturally from a long time ago simply doesn’t happen the same way today.
I was always amazed that every dinner event we held back in the day based on promoting the plight of the bees and using honey in every course sold out the fastest.
To think that we grew up so afraid of bees and getting stung. When we learned that they were disappearing and what that meant to our world’s food supply, a lot of people were surprised and curious to learn more. The goal was to shed light on a global issue, food supplies and a sustainable future. It even made the cover of TIME magazine a while ago. The bees are still in decline; climate change, pollution and pesticides are just a few reasons why.
On this visit, I will be joined by chefs Allen Hess of Farmer Ocean Rancher Cook Restaurant in Waimea and Brian Hirata of Naau. I’m happy because they both worked with me at the Hualalai Grille and they are both doing so well today. Lorna’s husband, Jay, and friends also do a lot of the cooking. I will be using a honey chile sauce in my dish made by Lauren Tamamoto, culinary arts instructor at Kapiolani Community College.
Why do we eat pancakes with so many kinds of syrup and not honey?
Chef and restaurateur Alan Wong has wowed diners around the world for decades, and is known as one of the founders of Hawaii Regional Cuisine. Find his column in Crave every first Wednesday. Currently, Wong is dba Alan Wong’s Consulting Co.
